Mann targets Centre over non-inclusion of Punjab tableau in R-Day parade

Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann Friday again hit out at the Centre over the non-inclusion of the state's tableau in the Republic Day parade in Delhi, saying the occasion cannot be imagined without a state that has made countless sacrifices for the motherland.

Addressing a Republic Day function in Ludhiana, Mann said the tableaus which were 'rejected' by the Centre were on Friday included as part of the parade in the state.

Mann also took on the Centre on some other issues and said Punjab is a very loyal state and a situation should not be created where this loyalty is mistrusted.

Recently, the chief minister had said the Narendra Modi government rejected the tableau of his state because of its 'anti-Punjab syndrome'.

The Centre has rejected as 'baseless' Mann's criticism of the BJP-led government for not including the state's tableau in the Republic Day parade and his allegations of discrimination.

In a statement following Mann's allegations, the Ministry of Defence earlier said, "The tableau proposal of Punjab was considered in the first three rounds of a meeting of the expert committee. After the third round... the tableau of Punjab could not be taken forward... for not aligning to the broader themes of this year's tableau."

At the Ludhiana Republic Day event, where he unfurled the national flag, Mann said Punjabis have made countless sacrifices for the motherland, fought wars and were at the forefront of the country's freedom struggle.

"But it is sad when Punjab's tableaus were not included in the Republic Day parade. Just now, we have taken out these tableaus here before you. Is there anything in them which is odd? These tableaus show photos of our prominent freedom fighters, our rich culture, sacrifices of our valiant heroes. Then how can you celebrate and imagine a Republic Day without them," he told the gathering.

Mann said Punjab meets the food needs of the nation. 'Our water table has gone down. And then they take cudgels, they tell us they won't give MSP,' he said, attacking the Centre.

The chief minister said Punjab shares a 553-km-long border with Pakistan and 'drones, drugs, weapons keep coming in from there. We have to pay attention on that front too'.

"Punjab is a very loyal state. Kindly don't create such a situation, don't mistrust our loyalty," he added.

Mann also said that he was anguished with the Army not giving a guard of honour during the last rites of Agniveer Amritpal Singh, who died in Jammu and Kashmir on October 11 last year.

The chief minister later shared the news on the personal front too, saying, "I want to make a personal announcement. In my home too, I am expecting the birth of a child in March. My wife Dr Gurpreet is seven-month pregnant... Our only wish is that be it a girl or a boy, the child should be healthy."

He further said his government was taking several steps to empower women. 'We believe in 'kaam ki rajneeti' and not 'naam ki rajneeti'. We have adopted the model of the Kejriwal government in Punjab too,' Mann added.

He said that on Saturday, the Punjab government will launch the Sadak Surakhya Force (Road Safety Force) to provide timely assistance to road accident victims.